Bishop resigns as Amnesty backs abortion

Published: 20 August 2007

British Catholic Bishop Michael Evans has resigned from Amnesty
International after the international human rights organisation
approved a new policy affirming the right to abortion under limited
circumstances.

BBC News
reports that Bishop Michael Evans of East Anglia said he could not
agree to the new Amnesty stance and therefore resigned after the
organisation vote to support the right of women to have access to
abortion where pregnancy is a grave risk to their life or health.

As part of a campaign on women's rights the group is highlighting the issue of rape in society and war zones.

Bishop
Evans, who wrote a special prayer for the organisation, told the BBC's
Sunday programme, a move away from neutrality on abortion had caused
him a problem.

"If Amnesty International becomes an organisation
which affirms the right to abortion, even under certain circumstances,
it is free democratically to do so.

"But it cannot expect those
of us who are just as passionate about the human rights of the unborn
child to feel at ease being part of such an organisation," he said.

He added: "It is this move away from neutrality that is causing the problem."

Bishop Evans is the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

In another move, Zenit
reports that Ireland's branch of Amnesty International will not promote
the organization's new policy of allowing abortion in cases of rape,
incest, or threats to the mother's life.

Noeleen Hartigan,
director at Ireland's Amnesty International office, confirmed that the
Irish branch is opting out of the controversial new policy, the Irish
Times reported.

Catholic delegates attending an Amnesty
International conference this week are likely to raise the issue, which
has already received wide media attention.